Donte' Stallworth tries to "move forward"

Posted by Mike Florio on June 1, 2010, 5:11 PM EST

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth had an interesting interview Tuesday on ESPN’s Jim Rome Is Burning in which he said he knows that he’ll never erase the fact that he drove drunk and struck and killed a pedestrian, but he also believes he should try to move on with his life.

Noting that Stallworth will return to the NFL in 2010 after a 2009 in which he served 24 days in jail and was suspended from football for the entire season, Jim Rome asked Stallworth, “Have you been able to put that out of your mind and turn the page completely on what happened?”

Stallworth answered, “I don’t think you ever can do that, Jim. But I think to the best of my ability I’ve been able to move forward in life and really try to find a sense of serenity in my own self and understand that I’ve been given another chance — really just keeping my faith in God and just trying to move forward.”

Asked if he’ll always be judged by the events of March 14, 2009, when he struck and killed a man named Mario Reyes, Stallworth answered, “People who really know me, who have known me for a while and been around me, know what kind of person I am. But for people who don’t know me, they may judge me off this one instance. But if someone takes the time to get to know me, they’ll know that I’m not the kind of person that has been portrayed in the media.”

Stallworth said he hopes he can be an example to others, to “show people how to make the right decisions and look at the things that I’ve done and learn from that.”

He owned up to what he did. Didn’t hide. Didn’t “lawyer up”. Didn’t try to blame it on someone else. How many people commenting here would do that? I say almost none.
Lots of big talkers here but few with the integrity this guy found at a moment of truth for him.

my opinion completely changed once i saw the highway the dude was hit on,why would anybody try and cross a highway that big in the dark,and it was right at a bend,i think he would have been hit whether stallworth was driving over the limit or not,normally i would say he is getting the raw end from media and public,but he did kill someone and sticks and stones and all that. Until you see or read all the facts surrounding the case i have to say reserve your judgement[unlike myself],i feel bad for prejudging this guy,i think it couldve happened to anybody

I don’t condone what he did at all and hope he never forgets that he took another person’s life. That said, he has paid his dues in the eyes of the law and his employer. He recognizes the grief his actions caused to the family. If he can turn his publicity into a positive for others and causes just one person who has been drinking to stop and think before getting behind the wheel then I applaud him (reservedly). Whether the family forgives him is between those two parties.

class act??!? he drove DRUNK and hit and killed a pedestrian (who cares if he was jaywalking) and served all of 24 days in jail! whatever. these athletes do whatever they want and seem to always get away with it. i agree with John El Way.

Hamburghlar you are such an idiot. I’m gonna make it my business to point out all of you type of people. You guys are like Tiger haters…when the guy was tearing through the sport you sat there grunting, just waiting for a fall to grace and when he fell you were there to laugh. However as soon as he stepped out on that green all the normal people who understand that people make mistakes and aren’t judgmental or looking for laughs like childhood class clowns drowned him in cheers. How bout you look up the facts.
1. The guy hit him by accident, yeah he should have stopped but car accidents are split seconds and we cant all do what we should have done in that moment.
2. The first thing he did afterwards is call the police and even the police report shows that he was completely cooperative and he never tried to get out of this situation and thats why Goodell let the guy right back in the league.
You idiots should go run into a car…I hate you people who comment on this site, I really do.

All of the steeler fans can say what they want (especially the ones that claim ben is innocent) but if you listen to Stallworth he is a class individual. He takes full repsonsibility for what happened. He stopped and did what he could to help that morning. When reading all of the accounts, he most likely would have hit Mr. Reyes even if he had not been drinking.
What he did was wrong but even if he had went to the steelers, I would still say he is a class guy and has done all the right things to try and help the family as well as move on.
Like I said with ben…he is back at practice…give him a chance to show he has corrected his ways…
So steeler fans please dont hate him for this incident….you will have plenty of hate for him when he burns your secondary!!!!

I ticket those who jaywalk in major traffic areas. His drinking is simply a scapegoat for one persons terrible thinking in this case. He shouldn’t have seen any time regarding the mans death, only for the dui. Pedestrians are not above the law. Use the cross walk.

The guy was killed more so because he jumped out in front of a moving car, rather than because Stallworth was drunk. He said that even if he was sober there was no way he could have avoided hitting him.
I do realize drinking and driving is wrong, but it’s not what killed this guy.

A typical day in the Baltimore Ravens front office…
“Wait a minute! A convicted murderer is available????? Sign him up Ozzie!!”
Ravens and their fans are a bunch of no-class asswipes…
Ben owns you bitches…bahahahahaha
So does Hines Ward and Ryan Clark..the list goes on

So jaywalking is a crime worthy of the death penalty? These posters who say, “but the guy was jaywalking” seem to imply the pedestrian got what he deserved for daring to cross the road at the wrong place. That is like saying that Mr. Roethlisberger’s accuser in Georgia got what she deserved because she was drunk. The fact is that alcohol consumption (by Mr. Stallworth and Mr. Roethlisberger) contributed to the outcome in both of these events.
And Ravenmaniac, you are way to sensible and rational to be posting here. I agree with you that Mr. Stallworth seems to have done all of the right things and deserves a chance to earn a living at his chosen profession, just as Mr. Roethlisberger is trying to do. I just hope Mr. Stallworth can catch Troy P. when he intercepts a Flacco pass and heads for the endzone…

If you drink and drive, even once, it could have been you. You/me were just lucky! Not saying it is right, but if you ever drank and got behind the wheel . . . just saying.
Hey pghsteve. At least Donte only did something stupid once. I’ll resist the rest . . . .

A typical day in the Baltimore Ravens front office…
“Wait a minute! A convicted murderer is available????? Sign him up Ozzie!!”
Ravens and their fans are a bunch of no-class asswipes…
Ben owns you bitches…bahahahahaha
So does Hines Ward and Ryan Clark..the list goes on
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….and they wonder why Steeler fans get the rep. as arrogant asses. This clown is exhibit A (as in ass).

Yeah, Donte gets major props for owning up to his guilt and not making any excuses at all.
Facts of his case would make most people fight it in court, or at least talk about the excuses.
They’d mention that he’d been home and slept since drinking his last drink.
They’d mention that the guy tried to cross the 4 or 6 lane freeway in the middle of the night at a point where it’s not meant to be crossed.
And they’d probably mention that he was only at something like .126, which I believe is about what you’d be at after no more than 2-3 beers over a 2 hour period.
I don’t think those excuse him getting in the car. But I find it pretty decent of the guy not to try and use it as an excuse.
Check this article too:http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/02/10/donte-stallworth-was-wrong-but-unlucky/

I Hope the Worthless piece of shits career ends in Cleveland when the most hated rat birds play the Browns . .Please someone take the SOB Out and end his playing days before my very eyes .!
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….ahh, and someone from the land of the burning river has to check in, too. It took us three years to wash the Cleveland out of the Ravens. Since then…and one Super Bowl later…they’ve never looked back. When the move was happening, I kept hearing all the Browns fans say..”We want our team, we just don’t want Modell” Well, congratulations boys and girls. Enjoy what you got!

He did intentionally try to kill the man. At the end of the day it was a very unfortunate accident. And yes I would still harbor anger towards him if it was my family member, but that doesn’t take away the fact that it was unintentional. Most of you morons on this board are writing as if he tried to kill the man. You hate a man that has done you know wrong. WTF.

Beduin says:
June 1, 2010 8:16 PM
Yeah, Donte gets major props for owning up to his guilt and not making any excuses at all.
Facts of his case would make most people fight it in court, or at least talk about the excuses.
They’d mention that he’d been home and slept since drinking his last drink.
They’d mention that the guy tried to cross the 4 or 6 lane freeway in the middle of the night at a point where it’s not meant to be crossed.
And they’d probably mention that he was only at something like .126, which I believe is about what you’d be at after no more than 2-3 beers over a 2 hour period.
I don’t think those excuse him getting in the car. But I find it pretty decent of the guy not to try and use it as an excuse.
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yeah, ok. i respect the fact that he didn’t try to lie. but who cares if he slept for a while before driving? drunk is drunk (and .126 is 50% higher than the legal limit and pretty drunk). i don’t care if the guy was jaywalking or it was dark or it was at a curve in the road. and “you’ve driven drunk too, it could have happened to you” is not an excuse. and if it had happened to any of us i’m sure we would’ve served more that 24 days! hell, i live in arizona and just getting a DUI without hitting ANYTHING gets you more than that! fact of the matter is he was legally drunk and he hit and killed a pedestrian. should he be banned from football forever? i think so. if you’re a doctor, RN, paramedic, lawyer, judge, etc. you would likely lose your license or be disbarred (meaning you could no longer work in your chosen profession). this is why professional athletes can get away with anything.

yeah, ok. i respect the fact that he didn’t try to lie. but who cares if he slept for a while before driving? drunk is drunk (and .126 is 50% higher than the legal limit and pretty drunk). i don’t care if the guy was jaywalking or it was dark or it was at a curve in the road. and “you’ve driven drunk too, it could have happened to you” is not an excuse. and if it had happened to any of us i’m sure we would’ve served more that 24 days! hell, i live in arizona and just getting a DUI without hitting ANYTHING gets you more than that! fact of the matter is he was legally drunk and he hit and killed a pedestrian. should he be banned from football forever? i think so. if you’re a doctor, RN, paramedic, lawyer, judge, etc. you would likely lose your license or be disbarred (meaning you could no longer work in your chosen profession). this is why professional athletes can get away with anything.
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So go take your anger out on the legal system. How the hell is it his fault he only got 24 days?!
Spare me the outrage.

3 things:
#1- why is nobody addressing the fact that the dead dude’s family cared soooo much about him, they settled out of court for money! didn’t wanna see justice served, just a handful of cash!
#2- raylewisthemurdered: your QB is a rapist, your kicker is a drunk who gets in trouble with the law consantly. don’t talk. other than Ray’s incident (never convicted!) Jamal who hasnt been a Raven for years and is retired, and recently Stallworth, you have nothing. Go talk to Cincy fans, they have the most arrests of any NFL team. Dumbass. And Ravens are not Bens bitches bc we dont have any 17 y/o girls he can drag into a bathroom and slip a roofie.
#3- I’d be willing to bet half of you idiots in here saying he got preferential treatment and it was unfair and he is essentially the devil for what he did, have drank and drove at least once in the past month. might have been one beer, might have been 10 shots of tequila, but nevertheless, it is illegal and on the same grounds of what Stallworth did. Difference? He ended up in the same place at the same time as a guy jaywalking. You got home in one piece. He is in the public eye. You’re not. He learned his lesson and will never do it again. You will. And again. gotta love hypocrites…

RavenManiac-
Of course they drink and drive…and sleep with their relatives as well-that is why they are so f-ing stupid. I am so sick of you loud mouthed Squeeler and Clown fans I hardly check this site anymore. You are both scum of our country..Bring it on Ryan Clark, Rapists, whatever. Can’t wait to see ou at M@T…
Top o the Mornin’ to yaaaa

Pghsteve……touche….I love your parting shot…..
As I have said on here many times….even on game day I cant hate Troy P! He is just too good!! That is one player in the NFL that I wish was a Raven!!
Hopefully he does not intercept my boy…this year….if he does I am thinking Stallworth can catch him…..

It was an ACCIDENT….End of Story….what is the guy supposed to do?…….lay in bed and cry for the rest of his life?……….I bet most of you who are critical of him have drove drunk before…………….get off your high horses

What’s a matter @GROWNsimba? Can’t take a little good natured ribbing? As a Steeler fan, I read just about every douchetastic Ben post from you idiot Brown/Raven/Bungle fans and respond with the facts, just like you did… but that ain’t gonna stop people from saying dumb, unfounded statements. So here’s to bustin balls, unless you’re gonna cry about it, then we’ll jump on even more. And don’t you worry, I’m sure there’s a lot of people who hate the posters on this site, so get in line and stop reading it if you’re gonna bitch.